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Jessica Biel in 'The Truth About Emanuel' Trailer: What You See Isn't What You Get

A first look at the 2013 Sundance premiere twists director Francesca Gregorini's coming-of-age drama into a terrifying thriller.

The Hollywood Reporter's Sundance review of Emanuel and The Truth About Fishes called Tanner Hall co-director Francesca Gregorini's solo debut an “accomplished coming-of-age feature that adeptly combines both dramatic and fantasy elements,” and praises costar Jessica Biel for going “full-on maternal mode, something of a departure for the actress.” But it's hard to see that movie in the first trailer for the film, re-titled The Truth About Emanuel, which plays out like a motherly version of Single White Female.

Wuthering Heights actress Kaya Scodelario stars as the titular character, a teenager who feels the weight of her mother's death on her shoulders. Though Emanuel cuts everyone in her life off, she takes solace in a babysitting gig provided by her new neighbor, Linda (Biel). The two become instant friends, and it's only when Emanuel discovers a shocking secret about Linda that life spins even chaotically out of control.

The Truth About Emanuel contains its fair share of twists and the trailer's stylistic makeover may be the result of holding them close to the chest. How do you sell a sizzling ensemble piece without giving away the central conceit? Smother it in genre tropes.

Costarring Alfred Molina, Frances O'Connor, and Jimmi Simpson, Tribeca Film and Well Go USA will release The Truth About Emanuel to VOD on Nov. 26th before opening it in a limited release on January 10th.